360 Chairman Zhou Hongyi shared his unique insights on the development of artificial intelligence at the Sina News Exploration Conference. As a "staunch advocate of AI," he believes that the breakthroughs in AI technology are comparable to the Industrial Revolution, the Electric Revolution, and the Information Revolution, but he also expresses a different view on the industry's pursuit of "super intelligence."
Regarding the recent article "The Age of Intelligence" by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, which envisions super AI, Zhou Hongyi expressed his concerns. He does not agree with creating AI as a "universal, invincible, all-powerful" entity, citing IBM's early misjudgment of the computer market as an example, illustrating that technological revolutions often stem from popularization rather than highly centralized development paths.
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Zhou Hongyi proposes that China's AI development should take a different path from OpenAI—transforming AI from a "nuclear bomb" to a "tea egg." This means reducing the cost of AI applications to enable it to permeate various industries, achieving true industrial reshaping rather than destruction.
In a dialogue with Bai Chongen, Dean of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, both parties agreed on the direction of AI development: more attention should be paid to AI's empowering role for humanity rather than simply replacing human labor. Zhou Hongyi specifically pointed out that current AI technology can only simulate some functions of the human brain, with low efficiency, and will not pose a real threat to humans in the short term.
Based on field visits, Zhou Hongyi revealed that OpenAI is currently facing development bottlenecks. Even with significant investments in computing power and data resources, the goal of creating super intelligence still faces challenges. He suggests that AI development should shift towards specialization, like DeepMind's AlphaGo and AlphaFold, to excel in specific fields.
Zhou Hongyi believes that China's complete industrial system and rich application scenarios provide unique advantages for the implementation of AI technology. The key lies in how to combine AI technology with specific industry needs to effectively enhance production efficiency, rather than blindly pursuing the creation of a universal super intelligent entity.